The second semifinal in the FIFA Confederations Cup will go on Thursday in Sochi as Germany takes on Mexico in their second meeting in this tournament. The first meeting came back in 2005 when Germany won 4-3 in an extra-time thriller.
What You Need To Know About Germany
Germany finished first in Group B with seven goals scored and four goals allowed, and there are many that would have given the Germans a pass for not doing well in this tournament as they left basically their entire senior squad at home outside of Julian Draxler, who is himself only 23 years old. But that isn’t how Germany rolls and they’ve gotten great performances from Draxler, who has a goal and an assist, while 22-year-old Joshua Kimmich has two assists, 28-year-old Lars Stindl has two goals and 22-year-old Leon Goretzka might be the best player of the bunch. Even at the back, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be a #1 keeper for virtually every country in the world outside of a handful. The defense has been shaky at times as they’re young and don’t play together much, but this German team is definitely giving a good account of themselves.
What You Need To Know About Mexico
The Mexicans finished second in Group A with six goals scored and four goals against, but it has been a strange tournament for them. They almost brawled with New Zealand in a 2-1 win, and they’ve suffered a slew of injuries in a short time. Defenders Carlos Salcedo is out for sure with a shoulder injury, while fellow defenders Diego Reyes and Hector Moreno are also concerns, as is Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who has muscle fatigue and trained by himself this week. Another massive blow is the loss of midfielder Andres Guardado, who has arguably been Mexico’s best player in this tournament and the Mexicans are going to have trouble without their captain, who is good going both forwards and backwards. Jonathan dos Santos and Hector Herrera are going to have to pick up the slack there, while Oscar Peralta might be counted on if Hernandez can’t play. The Mexicans still do have Guillermo Ochoa in goal, while 38-year-old Rafael Marquez might be drafted into defense.
Outlook
Germany won their first meeting with Mexico in a 2-1 victory in the round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup, then they won that 4-3 game in the third-place game despite being down a man. Mexico has more experience, but they have a lot of injuries, while this Germany team has a lot of players that want to impress manager Joachim Low and have been doing a great job. Mexico is limping at the back and Germany plays with speed, even if they do make a few mistakes here and there. It’ll be interesting to see how the Mexicans deal with Goretzka, who has been excellent at making late runs into the box and if the Mexicans can’t track him in the midfield, it might be too late by the time the defense sees him. Take Germany to get to the final in this one.
Soccer Betting Pick: Germany
If you’re interested to bet on the Mexico-Germany soccer betting matchup, check Shangri La for the latest soccer betting odds.
